There are approximately 500 Helichrysum species. They are very polymorphous and difficult to distinguish from each other. Knowledge about them remains very limited and extraction of the essence by distillation is rarely performed.
Nevertheless, there has already been reported in the prior art the preparation of an essential oil of Helichrysum italicum comprising neryl acetate (28.9%) (Satta M. et al., CAS, Vol. 132, No. 17, Apr. 24, 2000).
Isolation of flavonoids from Helichrysum italicum and their protective activity in relation to the degeneration process of the skin has also been described (Maffei Facino R. et al., CAS, Vol. 115, No. 1991). However, the flavonoids are not related in any way to neryl acetate.
Finally, it has been reported that the essential oil of Helichrysum italicum exhibits antimicrobial properties (Chirkina N. N. et al., CAS, Vol. 81, No. 9, Sep. 2, 1994) and can be used in antiseptic compositions to promote cicatrization (U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,972).